Brassiere



Jan. 20, 1959 2,869,554

J. V. HOLLAR BRASSIERE Filed Oct. 22, 1956 INVENTOR.

dlglg-iN V. HULLAR AT TURNEY MMA BRASSIERE John V. Hollar, Fairfield,Conn, assignor to The La Resista Corset Company, Bridgeport, Conn, acorporation of Connecticut Application October 22, 1956, Serial No.617,3tl9

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-498) I The present invention relates to brassieres,and has for an object to provide a garment of this type incorporatingmeans for obtaining improved supporting and molding characteristics,while at the same time permitting free movement of the body with aminimum of restraint.

In particular, it is proposed to provide a pair of elastic side sectionsincorporated in the garment in the regions below the arm pits at eachside of the shoulder strap supported bust-receiving pockets, and eachincluding integrally connected horizontally and diagonally elasticportions, the pair of horizontally elastic portions providing elasticstretch in the body encircling band-like structure of the brassiere, andthe pair of diagonally elastic portions providing elastic pulldownwardly and outwardly upon the upper portions of the bust-receivingpockets from their points of connection with the shoulder straps. Thecombined action of the horizontally and diagonally elastic sectionsexerts tension upon the garment to retain it in place against upward anddownward displacement, and to exert pull on the upper edges of thebust-receiving pockets to retain them in snug engagement with the bodywithout gapping, while at the same time providing yieldable bodyengaging sections in the regions below the arm pits which mold andsupport the muscular structure of the body in these regions withoutinjurious restraint or pressure.

A further object is to provide a garment in which the elastic sidesections comprising integrally connected horizontally and diagonallyelastic portions may each be con veniently and economically formed froma single piece of material folded along the up er edge of the section tothus provide a smoothly rounded upper edge.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma consideration of the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing wherein satisfactoryembodiments of the invention are shown. However, it will be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includesall such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a brassiere according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the right hand elasticside sections in unfolded flattened position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the left hand elastic side section; b

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the elastic material of the right handside section as seen in Fig. 2 folded and stitched for insertion in thegarment;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the elastic material of the left handside section as seen in Fig. 3 folded and stitched for insertion in thegarment;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Patented Jan. 20, 1959 Fig. 7 is a similar sectional view showing amodified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the brassiere comprises a pair ofbust-receiving pockets 10l0 joined at their inner edges and along aportion of their lower edges to a central panel 11 having the generalshape of an inverted T, the end edges 1212 of the lower band portion ofthe panel extending downwardly from the lower edges of the pockets inslightly divergent relation. The elastic side sections, indicatedgenerally as 13, are secured at the upper parts of their forward edgesalong the outer edges of the pockets 10 and at their lower parts alongthe end edges 12 of the panel 11, and are secured at their rearwardedges to the forward edges of the back strap sections i l-l4. One strapsection 14 is provided at its free end with hook fasteners 15 while theother is provided at its free end with a horizontally elastic band 16provided at its end with a tab 17 having eye fasteners 18 for engagementby the hook fasteners 15. Shoulder straps 19l9 are connected between theupper edges of -the bust pockets 1t) and the back strap sections 14. The

bust pockets 10, the central panel 11 and the back strap sections 14 areformed of suitable non-elastic fabric material.

As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, each of the elastic side sections 13 comprisesa single piece of one-way stretch woven elastic fabric 24 which iselastic in a horizontal direction and substantially inelastic in avertical direction, and which consists of integral auxiliary and mainportions 21 and 22 defined by a diagonally extending fold line indicatedby the dot-and-dash lines 23, the auxiliary portion being ofsubstantially less area than the main portion. The main portion 22 isco-extensive with and has the outline shape of the elastic side section,

being provided with an upwardly and outwardly inclined rearward edge 24for attachment to the back strap section 14, and a forward edgeconsisting of an upper concavely curved portion 25 for attachment to theouter edge portion of the bust pocket it and a lower straight portion 26for attachment to the end edge 12 of the central panel ll.

The rearward edge 27 of the auxiliary portion 21 is at an angle to thefold line 23 equal to that of the rearward edge 24 of the main portion22, and the forward edge 28 of the auxiliary portion is at an angle andcurvature to the fold line equal to that of the forward edge 25 of themain portion, so that upon folding of the auxiliary portion 21 along thefold line 23 over the upper area of the main portion .22 the edges 27and 28 will register with the upper portions of the edges 24 and 25.

The upper and lower edges of the piece of elastic materiai are out alonghorizontal lines parallel to the horizontal direction of stretch of thematerial, and these edges are provided with hems 29 and 30 secured bystretchable zig-zag stitching 31 and 32, respectively, the

hem of the auxiliary portion 21 being turned upon the forward side ofthe material, as seen in Fig. 2, so that upon folding it will be at therearward side, and the hem Sil of the main portion 22 being turned uponthe rearward side, so that when incorporated in the garment it isdisposed at the rearward side of the garment.

The right and left hand sections are identical in outline, and as theweave and appearance of the material is preferably identical on bothsides, the same blanked out pieces of material are used for both theright and left hand elastic sections, the only difference characterizingthem as right and left sections being the positioning of the hems 29 and30, which are in reverse arrangement in the left hand section to thearrangement in the right hand section. The area of the auxiliary portionEllis approximately one-half the area of the main portion 22, so thatwhen folded, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the auxiliary portion issuperimposed upon approximately one-half the area of the main portion22, and to facilitate handling and assembly before stitching into thegarment, the side edge margins of the auxiliary portion 21 superimposedupon the side edge margins of the main portion 22 are secured by rows ofstitching 33 and 34.

By virtue of the diagonal disposition of the fold line 23, the weave ofthe material of the auxiliary portion 21 along which it is stretchable,i, e., its stretch-weave, is disposed in a diagonal direction withrespect to the i1orizontal direction of the stretch-weave or" the mainportion 22, and the hem 29 of the auxiliary portion, which is parallelto the stretch-weave of the auxiliary portion, is disposed diagonallyacross the main portion at an intermediate point between its upper andlower edges. i is pointed out that the angle of the hem 25 and thestretcrr weave of the auxiliary portion is twice the angle of the foldline 23, for example, with a fold line at an angle of twenty-fivedegrees to the horizontal stretch-weave or" the main portion '22, thestretch-weave and the hem line 29 of the auxiliary portion 21; is at anangle of fifty degrees.

The action of the elastic side sections is such, due to the integralconnection of the auxiliary and main'portions El and 22, that when thegarment is in place upon the body the tension areas provided by thehorizontal stretch portions 22 are substantially coextensive with thespaces between the pockets 1?; and the back straps 14 occupied by theside sections, while the diagonally disposed portions providesupplementary tension directed downwardly and outwardly upon the upperportions of the pockets from their points of connection with theshoulder straps 19. At the same time, the superimposing of thediagonally stretchable portion upon the horizontally stretchable portionand its integral connection at the fold line provides a complementaryaction between the integrally connected portions to maintain them infirm relation with the body and to prevent any tendency to wrinkle orcontract in a vertical direction due to the pull between the relativelywide forward cup portion of the garment and the relatively narrow backstraps securing the garment at the back. It is further pointed out thatthe inner ends of the diagonal hem 29 forming the lower edges or" theauxiliary portions 21 are substantially in line with the contour seams35 defining the upper and lower parts of the bust-receiving pockets 10,so that the auxiliary diagonal tension imposed by the auxiliary elasticportions 21 is substantially directed and confined to the upper parts ofthe pockets, while horizontal tension is applied to the lower parts ofthe pockets by the main elastic portions 22.

in Fig. 7 there is shown a modification in which the zigzag stitching31a securing the hem 29 of the auxiliary portion 21 is carried throughto the main portion 22, so that the diagonally disposed lower edge ofthe auxiliary portion is secured along its length to the main portion22.

What is claimed is:

l. In a brassiere, a pair of bust-receiving pockets, a pair of elasticside sections respectively connected at their forward edges to the outeredges of said pockets, and back strap sections connected to the rearwardedges of said side sections, each side section comprising a single pieceof one-way stretch material having a main portion, co-extensive with theside section and arranged to stretch horizontally, and an auxiliaryportion, of substantially less area than said main portion, foldeddownwardly in superimposed relation upon the upper part of said mainportion along a downwardly and outwardly inclined fold line constitutingthe upper edge of the side section and disposed diagonally of thestretch direction of said material, whereby the stretch direction ofsaid auxiliary portion is diagonal relative to the horizontal stretchdirection of said main portion, the side edges of said auxiliary portionbeing in register with the side edges of said main portion, and thelower edge of said auxiliary portion being parallel to its stretchdirection and extending lagonaily across said main portion intermediatethe upper lower edges of said main portion.

2. A brassierc as defined in claim 1, wherein the lower edge of saidmain portion is parallel to its stretch directiou.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSl,58l,74-7 Landon Apr. 20, 1926 1,979,120 Robbins Oct. 20, 1934 2,4211%)Coleman Aug. 5, 1947 2,651,040 Block Sept. 8, 3 2,695,469 Fridolph Nov.1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 453,754 Canada Jan. 4, 194-9

